regularfandomcom-20200214-history
Medea "Sibyl" Michaels
Name: '''Medea Michaels '''Aliases: '''Sibyl '''Identity Status: Known by most. Age: '''35, actually. But 29 is her answer if pressed. Appearance '''Height: '''5'10" '''Weight: '''145 lbs. '''Eyes: Grey-green Hair: Black Complete Description: '''Though tall and slender, one would be hard-pressed to describe the woman as lanky, and any other commentary on her curves would gain at least a stare, possibly a glare, and depending upon her rather mercurial moods, an out-and-out tongue-lashing, or an invitation back to her place. Dress depends entirely upon any number of factors—-the occasion, the day, her mood—-but can vary from jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt you, those are designer jeans, to something more professional and becoming of a college professor and museum consultant. Nonetheless, the woman never fails to look like she stepped out from the pages of the latest issue of a fashion magazine--which is why one might be surprised at the hideous gorgon tattooed upon her back in black and white...a scowling, menacing image, or the all-seeing eye in the palm of her right hand, each of them apotropaic symbols meant to ward off evil, or evil spirits. Might make one wonder if she's witnessed her own death... Background '''Nationality: '''American '''Ethnicity: '''Greek '''Family: Medea has no family to speak of--an only child, her parents were killed in a car crash. Unfortunately, the collision wasn't fatal in and of itself--the automobile caught fire, and her parents, trapped inside, were conscious while they burned to death. Medea was ten at the time, and saw the accident unfolding in her dreams. It was the first manifestation of her abilities. To date, it is still a dream which haunts her around the anniversary of their deaths--New Year's Eve. Raised by her grandmother, who, thankfully, lived long enough to see the troubled teen into a good college and then passed peacefully in her sleep. Medea knew the day before and managed to get home and spend time with the aging woman before it was too late, which was little consolation with the last of her family gone. History: Medea was a double major at NYU--Ancient History and Journalism, with a minor in Photography. She finished grad school on the West coast, receiving her PhD in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology from UC Berkeley. She worked during her undergrad years as a photojournalist for the NY Times--the gift of sight often giving her the upper hand where recording newsworthy disasters on film was concerned. Origin: Mutant: Medea's powers manifested when she was ten years old with the first of many haunting visions to come. Miscellaneous: '''Medea is an insomniac because she chooses not to -see-. She sleeps about every three or four days, when she gets good and tired, or with the help of a little blue pill, whenever she can get her hands on them--a sedative which tends to discourage dreaming. She also smokes to soothe jangled nerves, and will give up this vice for weeks on end only to start again, generally when faced with an especially disturbing vision. '''Personality: '''The woman is social under the right conditions--amongst colleagues for example--but one would be hard-pressed to describe her as easy to approach or especially friendly. Medea maintains a certain reserve, and often speaks in tones that may be construed as cool and dismissive. The problem, ultimately, is that Dr. Michaels considers herself an island, and she doesn’t need anything or anyone to survive. But people need her—-she’s brilliant and talented, a lethal combination to begin with, but to make matters worse, she knows her worth. '''Social Life:Dr. Michaels work--teaching Ancient History at NYU, consulting with the Metropolitan Museum, as well as some freelance photography now and then--doesn't keep the woman from having some semblance of a social life. She has long since learned that all work and no play makes her extremely difficult to tolerate. Though at times she may be prone to curl up on her couch with her beloved cat and a good movie, Medea is quite the social butterfly and enjoys being out and about, seeing people and being seen. Fame rating: Straight C-Lister; Medea's well known in her social circle which includes other learned PhDs, museum curators, archaeologists, history buffs, and wealthy philanthropists. Skills and Abilities Superhuman abilities: Precognition. The woman doesn't sleep for dreams--visions of things to come in the most vivid of imagery, more likely to be unpleasant than not. And we're not talking confusing symbols here--though Medea is also an awfully superstitious woman and does not discount the power of sight through symbols, nor does she ignore omens when they're obvious--but events as they are meant to occur in detailed scenes. How far ahead? In her experience, a week or two at the longest, mere minutes or hours on the short end of the scale. There are conscious visions as well, though these are less frequent and not as easily read or understood when they are immediate and are generally spurred by some trigger of her environment--as of yet unidentified. With focus this ability may manifest itself, but such a concentrated effort generally leaves her with a migraine and/or a nosebleed. Retrocognition. Medea dreams of things that occurred in the past as well--yet another reason for her to be an insomniac by choice. However, many of these experiences have been the direct result of exposure to an artifact of some sort in her line of work as a consultant for the ancient history collections at the Metropolitan Museum. Concentration may encourage this ability to manifest while conscious, but is not always successful, and such focus will often result in a migraine and/or a nosebleed. Psychometry. This ability is primarily put to use in her consultative services for the Met. In an effort to verify an artifact's history, Medea either holds or presses her hands against the object--through touch, she may discern much or nothing about an object's past. Psychometric impressions may come in the form of emotions, sounds, scents, tastes, or images. These psychometric visions are quite different than those she experiences through her other abilities--the imagery involved floods her mind with flashes, rapid successions of different snapshots rather than full scenes. What's more, the visual images tend to occur in no logical sequence. Mediumship. This is not a particular ability that Medea tries to hone because it frightens her. However, on more than one occasion, she has either distinctly heard a voice from beyond the realm of the living--in one instance, over the phone--or has unwittingly been overcome by a spirit that wished to communicate. In this case, Medea fell into a trance and the spirit spoke through her. She does not willingly try to open or encourage any communication with the dead. Miscellaneous Gadgets, props, etc: Camera bag and photography equipment. Pets: A rather large Bombay by the name of Richelieu. Medea cannot abide dogs. Played By: SuperRy